Please join us on Tuesday, July 5, at the LA County Board of Supervisors hearing to voice your opposition to the proposed LA County Parks Fee Parcel Tax. The current proposal is considering an increase to $.03 or $.05 per square foot on all development in LA County. This would double or nearly quadruple the current revenue of $80M per year.
On June 9, the BizFed Advocacy Committee voted unanimously to oppose this tax proposal as it is currently written. The county was supposed to present alternatives to leading business associations at a June 13 meeting but came to the table empty handed.
Can you please act now to urge LA County Board of Supervisors to OPPOSE a parks fee parcel tax that will hinder development across the county?
Please Click Here to send an email to the LA County Board of Supervisors
Join Us on Tuesday, July 5, 10 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors hearing to voice our collective opposition to this exorbitant tax fee! Please RSVP with Dustan Batton atDustan.Batton@BizFed.org. Below are our talking points.
• A square foot tax is a split roll tax. Not only is a split roll type parcel tax not appropriate to fund parks, the needed analysis of its nexus to the commercial/business sector and impacts have not been properly done.
• Prioritize multiple tax proposals. The cumulative effect of multiple taxes and fees is hindering economic growth and job creation, and November’s ballot already includes multiple tax increases. Therefore, the County must evaluate the combined impact of all of the proposed measures on local businesses and taxpayers and demonstrate some semblance of prioritization, rather than simply continuing to pile on.
• Parks funding should be revenue neutral. We understand the County is looking to replace approximately $80M per year in parks funding, yet the proposed $.03 and $.05 increases represent a doubling or nearly quadrupling the current revenue. Any new parks funding source should be revenue neutral compared to the current funding mechanism.
• Lack of engagement. The County’s polling memo is dated December 2015 and the Feasibility Study is dated January 2016, yet there was no known outreach to the businesses who would be paying most of the taxes until May 2016. The “We Need All Parks” website states in parts, “…the needs assessment was the result of 14 months of study and hundreds of hours of community input” – but that included no input whatsoever from the business community. We were told alternatives were being developed and would be presented at a June 13 stakeholders meeting; but no alternatives were brought to the table, further solidifying the business community's opposition.
Please act now, and remember to let us know you took action so we can credit your efforts!
